In 2020, Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant was able to share information about COVID-19 related symptoms and cases in India, to name a few. Amazon today announced that Alexa is now updated with the latest COVID-19 related features for Indian users. With the new update, Alexa will be able to provide information about testing centers, vaccination centers along with information on vaccination availability, COVID-19 helpline numbers in each state, etc.
All the COVID-related information is sourced from the CoWIN portal, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website, and MapmyIndia. Below is the new COVID-19 related information available on Alexa in India.
Ask for the nearest COVID-19 testing centers
with the help of MapmyIndia, Alexa can now help you find the nearest COVID-19 testing center along with the travel distance. Ask “Alexa, where can I get a COVID-19 test?“ to get the information about the nearest COVID-19 testing centers.
Get information about nearest vaccination centers
You can ask Alexa to find the nearest COVID-19 vaccination centers where vaccines are available. Alexa automatically recognizes your location from your device registration and provides a list of all the vaccination centers nearby you. You can use this information to time your visit to the CoWIN portal for booking an appointment. Simply ask, “Alexa, where can I get a COVID vaccine?” to find the nearest vaccine center.
Search vaccination centers for friends and family
If you want to search for vaccination centers near other pin codes, use the Vaccine Info Alexa skill (Check here). The skill will ask you for a pin code and the age category to provide you with information. In case of unavailability of the vaccine, Alexa can also set a reminder to check with the skill if the vaccine is available the next day. Simply ask, “Alexa, open vaccine info.“
Get updated on the COVID vaccine completion rates
Alexa with the help of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website provides the latest updates on the COVID vaccine completion rates in India. To know how many people have been vaccinated so far ask, “Alexa, how many people have been vaccinated in India?”
Get all your COVID vaccination related doubts cleared
Alexa will now answer all your questions related to COVID vaccination. Not sure if the vaccination is safe? Or need to book a slot for vaccination? Just ask, “Alexa, how can I register for COVID vaccine?“ Alexa also provides the COVID helpline numbers in each state, just say, “Alexa, what is the COVID helpline number in Karnataka?“
Donate for COVID welfare
Amazon has also partnered with several NGOs such as Akshaya Patra, Give India, and Goonj to make the process of donations easier. Just ask, “Alexa, donate now’’ and Alexa will send an app notification and an SMS containing Amazon.in/donate link, where users can complete the transaction with their preferred NGO partner and the amount of their choice.